Edward Bailey PB2Y Plane Captian

VERBAL INTERVIEW OCTOBER 9TH TO November 16, 2012 USING HIS NAVAL AVIATION LOG BOOK FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS

AUGUST 1942

ED JOINED 8/1942 US NAVY – IN Boston, Mass

HE TRAVELED FROM RECRUITING CENTER BY TRAIN TO NEWPORT RODE ISLAND FOR SIX WEEKS OF TRAINING AT BOOT CAMP

SEPTEMBER 1942

UPON GRADUATION FROM BOOT CAMP HIS SCORES ON THE TESTING WON HIM A SELECTION TO ATTEND AERIAL GUNNERS SCHOOL AT MAINE SIDE NAS JACKSONVILLE, JACKSONVILLE FL. HERE HE WAS TRAINED IN OPERATION OF 20 MILLIMETER ANTI AIRCRAFT AND OTHER AERIAL GUNNERY SCHOOL FOR SIX WEEKS

UPON COMPLETION OF GUNNERS SCHOOL HE RECEIVED ORDERS TO REPORT TO NAVAL TRAINING COMMAND, SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA

BARRACKS DETAIL ¾ WKS - DESCRIBE

ASSIGNED TO AIR GROUP SERVED APPRENTICESHIP, ASSIGNED TO VP SQUADRON #13 – PB2Y DESCRIBE PLANE USE PICTURE

A PBY model mounted in the ceiling of The MARGARITAVILLE Casino Biloxi, Mississippi

TRAINED IN SAN DIEGO 2 MONTH TRAINED BY BLACK CAT PBY PILOTS RETRAINED AS PB2Y PILOTS. LTJG KING WAS TRANSFERRED FROM PBY SQUADRON NO. 14 TO PB2Y SQUADRON NO. 13 AS EXPERIENCED PILOT TO TRAIN THE NEWLY FORMED SQUADRONS IN NIGHT OPERATIONS, AS HE HAD 4 YEARS EXPERIENCE WITH BLACK CAT GROUPS.

AFTER ED WAS TRAINED IN SAN DIEGO FOR TWO MONTHS HE WAS TRAINED BY BLACK CAT PBY PILOTS WHO WERE RETRAINED AS PB2Y PILOTS AS THE NEW PB2Y SQUADRONS WERE FORMING.

PB2Y ARE THE BIG BROTHER TOO THE PBY, BUILT WITH FOUR ENGINES TO THE 2 ENGINE ON A PBY. THE PLANE IS A LARGER VERSION WITH INCREASED RANGE, ORDINANCE AND KILLER CAPACITY. BUILT FOR SUBMARINE PAROLE AND RECONS ISIS DUTY. PBY2 HAD 3 TWIN GUN TURRETS 2 WAIST GUN TURRETS FOUR BOMBAY’S UNDER EACH WING 500 POUND BOMBS ‘SUB KILLERS’

ED WAS ASSIGNED AS CREW MEMBER AFTER HE WAS BEFRIENDED BY A PLANE CAPTAIN WHO WAS IMPRESSED BY HIS MECHANICAL SKILLS , FLYING AS CREW MEMBER ON PBY S and pb2ys

THEN PB2Y AS APPRENTICESHIP “at CORONADO NAVAL TRAINING CENTER ED WAS STRIKING FOR PLANE CAPTAIN AND BASED ON HIS TEST SCORES HE WAS PROMOTED TO E4.

He CROSSED THE PACIFIC ON THE LST NO. 448 FROM SAN DIEGO TO KANEOHE HAWAII TERRITORY OF HAWAII DESCRIBE LST AND TRIP

3 PLANE SQUADRONS FLIGHTS WERE ASSIGNED AND SENT TO HONOLULU AT KNEEHOLE TRAINING BASE IN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, THERE THE SQUADRONS TRAINED UNDER SIMULATED OPERATING CONDITIONS. AT THIS POINT THE SQUADRONS QUIT USING AND DISPOSED OF SELF SEALING GAS TANKS THAT WERE TOO HEAVY WHEN 400 POUNDS WERE ADDED TO ARMAMENT.

FOR 6 MONTHS ED TRAINED AS AN ENGINEER AS PART OF THE TRAINEE PLANE CAPTAIN. ED AS PLANE CAPTAIN NEED TO KNOW WHERE CREW WAS TWIN 50S’ IN TURRETS, WAIST GUNS FOR SUB RUN TRAINING SIDE WAIST GUNNERS HAD SAFETY BELTS W/ CABLE ATTACHED

NOW USING TRAINING ASSIGNED TO FLIGHTS RUNNING ACTUAL SUB PATROL & OTHER TARGETS AROUND HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. ALTHOUGH ED’S LOG SHOWS HE FLEW WITH OTHER PILOTS THE MAJORITY OF HIS FLIGHTS WERE WITH LTJG KING AS LEAD PILOT. PBY2 HAD 3 TWIN GUN TURRETS 2 WAIST GUN TURRETS FOUR BOMBAY’S UNDER EACH WING 500 POUND BOMBS ‘SUB KILLERS’. AS A FINAL TRAINING THEY FLEW 2 HOPS AND ONE NIGHT HOP. THESE WERE LONG RANGE FLIGHTS AND WERE ASSIGNED TO ACTUAL SUBMARINE PATROL AND OTHER TARGETS AROUND THE HAWAIIAN ISLAND CHAIN.

ENEMY AIRCRAFT TARGETS JAPS HAD OCCUPIED NIGHT OPPS ONE PLANE TO HIT TARGETS FROM LIST SOME EASY SOME BAD

US HELD TAWARRA BUT STILL FIGHTING JAP ARMY ECT. PB2YS COULD HIT JAPS ON TARAWA IN FOX HOLES.

THE SQUADRON WAS ASSIGNED TO PICK UP WOUNDED MARINES AND FLY THEM TO HOSPITALS. THE 3 PLANES FLEW AROUND 1000 MARINES TO HOSPITALS IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS. ED FEELS THAT OF ALL THE ASSIGNMENTS THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT.

MIDWAY WAS A SMALL PBY & PB2Y REFUELING BASE AFTER BATTLE OF MIDWAY
1943

FROM THE ON ISLAND HOPPING SOME BYPASSED, SOME OCCUPIED
SEE ED’S LOG

FLEW OUT OF PEARL HARBOR TO THE FOLLOWING ISLANDS

FORD ISLAND, KANEOHE BAY HI THEATER OF HAWAII

MIDWAY ISLAND, JOHNSTON ISLAND

ON FLIGHT TO JOHNSON ISLAND ED PASSED OVER THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE AND WAS ISSUED A CERTIFICATE TO COMMEMORATE THIS HISTORIC EVENT IN HIS NAVAL CAREER.

SOME ROUTINE PATROLS MOST EXCITING WERE THOSE WHEN THE JAP NAVY WAS SPOTTED THEY COULD SHOOT BACK!
Edward Baily retired from the US Navy having over 20 years of service, and retired to Badgad, Florida.